


37/5 (English)

by Petro



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Angst, Humor, Liverpool, Liverpool F.C., M/M, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26584498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petro/pseuds/Petro
Summary: Humor, romance and angst in the Red Wall relationship.
Relationships: Daniel Agger/Martin Škrtel
Kudos: 3





	1. humor

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [37/5](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26563558) by [Petro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petro/pseuds/Petro). 



> Written for Russian Football Summer Fest 2020.  
> 

Someone wraps a hand around Daniel's shoulders, but he doesn't even look around to see who took the liberty of leaning on him during the coach's speech. There are not many people in the whole world who can invade his personal space without warning.

At Melwood there's only one such person.

"Look," Martin whispers in his ear. "Regime breaker, three o'clock".

Daniel looks to the right at the circle of players and gets what Martin means at once. Jack, wearing a distinct pillow mark on his cheek, looks gloomy, there're dark shadows under his eyes and a bright-red nightclub stamp on his forearm. The only reason Rodgers hasn't noticed it yet is because he stands with his back to the lad.

"Should we warn him, you think?" Daniel asks with a sympathetic smile. He likes Jack and the sunny morning is too nice to ruin it by listening to the coach's disciplinary lecture.

"Nah," Martin drawls lazily, putting his chin comfortably on Daniel's shoulder. "He's a midfielder, after all".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack Dunn is a player from LFC Academy (now playing for Southport) who looks like Martin and Daniel combined.


	2. romance

Of the two of them it's Martin who gets newspaper nicknames.

Terminator, Iron Man, King Kong – not a month goes by that a new one doesn't appear in mass or social media.

"Martin Skrtel is so hard he asked for a Big Mac in Burger King and got one," a red flag flies over the Kop.

"Fear of heights is acrophobia, fear of spiders is arachnophobia, fear of Martin Skrtel is logical," Pepe sends to the group chat and the team answers with a dozens of laughing emoji.

Forwards are afraid of him, teammates respect him, and the newbies are careful not to stand behind his back. Furrowed brows are his trademark, sound of breaking bones is his favorite type of music. That's, at least, what the majority believes in.

Daniel is sure: he's bloody lucky not to be among them.

Sometimes, when Martin laughs, hiding his face from his pugs in pillows, sings along to the tunes for schoolgirls while driving or arches on the bed helplessly right before an orgasm, Daniel wants to shout about him to the whole world.

He's not a robot, not a machine, and there's no freaking nuclear reactor in his chest instead of a heart – it's right there, living and real. He smiles and cries, loves and protects, he's ticklish and his jokes make everybody laugh, even Kenny. All you need to do is to look a bit closer, look at him, _look!_

At all other times Daniel feels ashamed that he wants to keep this knowledge all to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Burger King flag is a real thing.


	3. angst

"Maybe it's not that bad," Martin says still watching "Game of Thrones". Daniel only manages a gloomy grin.

Manchester City are bombarding the club with requests, Per is fighting off dozens of interview offers every day. In just two weeks Daniel's market value has doubled from 13 million pounds, making Barcelona's headhunters prick up their ears, and Rodgers still hasn't deigned to talk to him at least once.

Oh yes, everything is just fantastic.

"I've thought it all through. The first game at Etihad, a desperate foul at the corner," Martin continues. "I’ll get a ban for three matches, you’ll get six months at the hospital. And then I will definitely not see your face in the second round. How's the idea?"

Daniel stares blankly at his strained profile in the TV light. Martin sits as if at a club photo-shoot - unnaturally straight, not taking his glassy eyes off the screen. He clearly hasn’t followed the bickering between the Lannisters and the Starks for more than a minute.

He's not joking, and it should be scary. Nevertheless, an uncertain smile creeps into the corners of Daniel's mouth for the first time in that crazy month.

"Brilliant," he says. "Promise me you won't get a coaching license with such tactic planning."

"Not a football one," Martin nods. "But I'll think about hockey options."

"So, that's your plan? Knocking me out before I enter Anfield in different colours?"

"You know that blue doesn't suit you?" Martin interrupts coolly.

"You know that there is a thing called razor?" Daniel retorts and briefly runs his knuckles over Martin's cheek.

The touch seems to bring him back to life. Martin catches Daniel's wrist, squeezes it gently and finally looks him in the face.

"If you leave," Martin says in a low voice. "Rogers will put Coates or Kelly in your place, maybe even Flanno. In a couple of months, we’ll play well together and everything will be fine. Or not. I can play without you."

Bowing his head, Martin kisses the center of his palm. Daniel feels his hot lips and stubbled chin caressing the ink moon on his skin, and his heart sinks. 

"But I don't want to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Per Steffensen is Daniel's agent.  
> 2) Martin used to play hockey, so yes, his tactic planning might be sliiightly rough.


End file.
